May 2, 2010
Happy Sunday, friends. I appreciate your kind words about my mom’s boyfriend’s son — they meant the world to me.
So in my last post, I mentiond that I grew up eating a little differently from most of my Greek fam. They were carnivorous; red meat made me squirm. They liked their veggies cooked through; I liked mine crunchy. They liked dishes that were salty and heavily flavored; I liked my food plain. Of course, there were things we all agreed on: my Grandmother’s spaghetti (which, even though slathered in butter and made from white pasta, was quite tasty); my mom’s wonderful broccoli, made with tons of lemon and olive oil; giant salads, which adorned the table at every family meal, and which, as the resident veg-aholic, I was usually put in charge of; and, in later years, my vegan baked goods, which totally transformed my mom’s conception of vegan sweets and treats.
So while there were things we didn’t all agree on — such as lamb, and the 101 uses my Yaya found for it — we did agree on a bunch of things. One of our main areas of unison was this: there were lots of mainstream American foods we didn’t know much about, and hadn’t tried. I don’t think I ever tasted a sugary cereal growing up. I had my first soda at the ripe old age of ten (ripe, sadly, by mainstream standards). There were no hot pockets or pop tarts at home, no chips or cheetos or even oreos. This doesn’t mean our pantry was perfect: there were other things, like spray margarine and Lean Cuisine, that were, in retrospect, pretty foul. But we were fairly cut off from the cornucopia of processed food that is the American supermarket.
More than that, there were lots of classic American dishes that we never grew up eating. Sure, my Mom made the usual sorts of comfort food dishes on occasion — veggie pot pie, for example, or tuna casserole — but most of our food was Mediterranean in flavor: grilled fish, chicken or zucchini broiled with lemon and tomatoes; pasta with pesto and veggies. And because that’s what we ate at home, that’s usually what we ate when we went out to restaurants, too. So there were tons of restaurant offerings that remained mysterious to me well into my adult years.
One of these was “surf and turf.” Believe it or not, I was twenty the first time I learned what this was, vacationing in a hotel with my father and his family. It sounded like such a fun dish, until I learned what it was: a side-by-side offering of steak and seafood, oftentimes fried. To me, that reeked of an animal protein overdose. Needless to say, it’s not a dish I’ve ever tried — I’d guess that many women haven’t — but the name has always amused me.
This weekend, I found myself with a pantry full of dwindling bags of sea veggies. You know, bags that have less than a real portion left, but are taking up space while I wait to finish them off. I thought I’d whip up some seaweed salad. As I contemplated that prospect, I also realized I had a portobello cap in my fridge that I hadn’t found a good use for yet. Portobellos, of course, are often called upon to represent “meatiness” in a vegan meal. And sea vegetables are just the closest I’ll get to touching fish. So with these two components at the ready, I decided to try my hand at my own version of “surf n’ turf” — vegan, raw, and healthful.
This salad is wonderful. Really. It’s salty, savory, and fun to eat. Mix the seaweed around with the kale and mushrooms, and you’ll happen upon lovely, intermittent pockets of flavor. Mushrooms, along with my hempesan, provide an earthiness, while the seaweed gives it a delicate and salty touch. The kale, meanwhile, is crunchy and a great contrast to the rest of the meal.
Note: every time I post a sea veggie recipe, someone asks if there’s a substitute to be had, since he or she hates seaweed. Sorry guys: the sea-veggie flavor is a fundamental component to this dish. So if you’re not into dulse or wakame, I’d say you’ll be missing out!
The process:
Gena’s Surf n’ Turf Salad (serves one VERY hungry person)
Ingredients:
1/2 bunch curly kale
1/3 cup each: shredded carrot, cabbage, zucchini
7 grams (or so) each: wakame, dulse, arame
1 portobello cap
3-4 tbsp hempesan
1 1/2 + 1 tbsp olive or hemp oil (separated)
2 tbsp nama shoyu
1 + 2 tbsp lemon juice (separated)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Directions:
1) The night before eating: mix 1 1/2 tbsp olive or hemp oil, 2 tbsp lemon, 2 tbsp nama shoyu, and 1 tsp sesame oil together. Slice portobello and submerge it in the marinade, leaving it overnight.
2) The next day, remove mushroom from marinade, storing it in the fridge. Reserve the marinade.
3) Soak your seaweed (wakame, dulse, arame) in water for at least 1-2 hours. Rinse. Transfer the seaweed to your leftover marinade, and let it soak for at least an hour. When it’s done, remove seaweed and place it in a sieve; press gently to squeeze out excess marinade. Discard the marinade that’s left, or save it for something you’ll marinade right away; there should still be quite a bit of it.
4) Wash, rinse, spin, and chop the kale. Place it in a large bowl with the carrot, cabbage, and zucchini, and then massage the whole thing with 1 tbsp lemon, 1 tbsp hemp or olive oil, a salt and pepper to taste. Add a little drizzle of agave if you’d like to. Set aside.
5) Top the kale salad with half of the seaweed (you can save the other half for another meal!) and the mushroom. Sprinkle 3-4 tbsp hempesan over the whole thing.
6) Dinner is served.
Talk about treasures from land and sea. This salad is packed with nutrients: rich in iodine, vitamin K, folate, and B vitamins from the sea veggies; vitamins A + K, iron, and calcium from the kale; and protein, essential fatty acids, and more B vitamins from the hempesan, not to mention additional fatty acids if you use hemp oil.
In other words, this salad is a whole lot more nourishing than the fried, butter slathered original dish — at least in my book. So the next time the CEO of your company waxes poetic about the steak+lobster plate at a business dinner, you can smile inwardly, confident that you’ve got an even healthier alternative up your sleeve.
Hope you all get a chance to make this one soon!
Before I go, a lil’ giveaway for you all! I’m sure quite a few of you have seen giveaways for a $50 shopping spree on iHerb already. Well, I’m joining the bandwagon: Abby, over at iHerb, was kind enough to offer me a sample shopping spree of my own ($50 worth) and an additional giveaway to one of my lucky readers! What’s iHerb? It’s a no fuss, no gimmicks online supplement store, featuring everything from “superfoods” to baking goods that are allergy friendly. Other stuff that makes iHerb special:
1) 95% of Orders placed before 1 pm, PST, ship the same day.
2) Free Domestic UPS Ground Shipping for Orders over $40
3) Free International Airmail Shipping for Orders over $60 and 3 lbs or less
4) They sell products for up to 50% off suggested retail prices
5) They carry close to 19,000 products that include vitamins, herbal supplements, health food and personal care items
What did I purchase in my shopping spree? I picked up some of my fave MegaZymes enzymes; some almond flour, which I’ve been meaning to try out; and some probiotics. Basically, my supplements of choice. The items arrived almost immediately, which was a major plus!
If you’d like a chance to pick up some goodies on iHerb, here’s the deal:
1) Leave a comment on this post, saying one supplement or product you might like to try
2) For an additional entry, tweet the contest or link to it on your blog, and tell me you did
That’s it! Winner will be announced next Monday, May 10th. In the meantime, if you simply can’t wait to shop on iHerb, go ahead and use the code UGE458 at checkout, which will get you a $5 discount.
Good luck!
And finally, before I go, Diana recently reminded me that I forgot to announce a winner to my Sun in Bloom giveaway. D’oh!!! I’ve been so distracted lately. The winner of a complimentary entree at Sun in Bloom is #59 — my friend and soon to be hot mama Lauren!!!! I am so happy to pass this on to her. Congrats, Lauren! I can’t wait to hear what you think of the restaurant.
OK, kids. I’ve got lots to do this Sunday. For now, peace!
xo
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Categories: Main Dishes
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I’d like some bob’s red mill gluten free flours to play around with.
I would love to try the digestive enzymes & probiotics! I’m also thinking of trying a prebiotic. Something for the belly. 🙂
Great post, the food looks so yum! I love mushrooms!
Totally ditto to Averie’s comment about this meal “looking” like you! If I just saw a picture of this and was asked to name the blogger, Gena it would be! Real life, never tried surf ‘n’ turf, but I’d totally try this, even though I don’t know how I feel about sea veggies.
I once considered ordering nutritional yeast off of iHerb, so that’s the first thing off the top of my head I think I’d buy.
Mmmm sea veggies!
iHerb looks like a neat resource. I’d love to get some raw maca powder.
nutiva hemp protein!
tweet tweet baby
LOVE iherb! I’d buy my Jarrow vegan probiotic capsules and a million other things I “need”…ya know, that I am too frugal to pop for if I didnt win 🙂
Vegan Surf n turf looks like SUCH a Gena-inspired meal. You know how some bloggers have foods that just “look like them”, well I think Heabs, Mama Pea, you, all have “your” dishes and it just struck me that on this one that it looks very Gena-esque. Sorry super random comment. But yeah, surf n turf in a restaurant is usually gag-worthy and reminds me of 1986 family vacays to Ft. Lauderdale.
Love how the acid from the lemon is softening and “cooking” the shroom. Gosh I love this one, Gena!
Averie — What a compliment! I love thinking that giant kale bowls remind you of me 😀
That surf and turf looks amazing 🙂
Thank you for entering me in the giveaway. I’d love to try spirulina as part of my order if I own the giveaway 🙂
this site is pretty rad, i’m glad you introduced me to it. if i were to win i’d probably buy some chia seeds, since i’ve always wanted to try them but never got around to it. i’m not really sure past that, i haven’t fully explored the site.
i’d like to try the almond flour! bake up some goodies with it!
I would definitely try one of their probiotics for IBS.
Your meal looks delicious! You’re so creative; I can never think of anything to that tastes good thrown together like that.
Well I’m fresh out of brown rice protein so I could use some extra dough to restock! Fun giveaway. And glad to hear Lauren won the SIB! Can’t wait to have her try it. I was there for lunch today with Katherine and Sebastian and it was damn tasty, as usual.
You are so clever with this Surf n Turf business! Love it. It never occurred to me that Surf n Turf could totally be vegan. Duh! Nice creativity, ma’am. It looks great.
And I need to put myself to bed before I write any more platitudes out of sheer delirium.
Tweeted! @ordinaryveg
Great take of Surf n’ Turf, Gena! I have all the goods except hemp seeds to make the hempesan, so actually, if I were to win your iHerb giveaway I’d get myself some hemp seeds. I’ve never tried hemp seeds, but heard nothing but good things. I’d also like try chia seeds, which I see is also available on iHerb. Thanks for hosting this excellent giveaway!
I STILL haven’t tried chia seeds!!
MegaZymes enzymes would be on my list–I’ve tried several different ones and have not been overly thrilled. I’d like to try something new:)
Love the look of that meal. Anything with mushrooms gets thumbs up from me. iherb? I’ve been following their giveaways around the blog world! Would love to win it. So many things I would love to try. I think starting with chia seeds. I’ve heard so much about them lately.
Thanks for offering the giveaway.
I’d like to try some green powder, like the Garden of Life RAW Super Green Formula.
I’ve never had raw mushrooms yet..maybe it’s time for me to give it a try. The salad looks great!
I just checked iherb.com and it looks really cool. They have the nunaturals stevia and a little something else that I want. wooohooo!
I would try the maca and the sun warrior protein. I have been excited to try these and this gift would make it that much easier!
YUM! I love portobellos, great recipe Gina!
I’d like to try some digestive enzymes. I just picked up the MegaZyme brand that you recommend, but I’d like to try others also. Or I’d try the SunWarrior raw protein powder.
I’m deffinately gonna try this awesome salad. I was never much into surf n’ turf, but this sounds great!
I’d love to try some blue green algae to add to a smoothie or something of the sort.
I really need to try a new take on my morning smoothies because lately I’ve been waaaay too tired in school.
Thanks a bunch Gena!
This salad looks delicious! Much better than actual surf n turf! Too bad I can’t eassily find kelp in my area… And did you know that eating mushrooms that have been exposed to direct sunlight can boost your vitamin D intake?
That salad looks incredible! I LOVE portabellos 🙂
And I would put the gift certificate towards a container of chocolate sun warrior protein powder!
xo
K
Gena!
That looks absolutely delicious. I have been craving sea-veggies and now i know why, because of all the vitamins. Glad i read this before heading to whole foods for some groceries.
If i were to win the contest, i would definitely get some KELP NOODLES!
I had a bite of a friends in a raw restaurant a while back, and i have been dying to get some. I have read tons of recipes on all the different things you can eat them with.
and of course something sweet to finish them with 😉
i would totally get sun warrior brown rice protein powder! i’ve been dying to try it!
Ooooo, so many choices… I’d love to try spirulina, which I’ve never tried before, and also cocoa nibs which I have tried but that are so expensive that I would never buy them on my own!
Yum that salad looks so good with the portobellos!!
I’d get some almond flour, and probably some gluten free things. Maybe some more enzymes or probiotics, and some raw iron.
My mom keeps telling me how great chia seeds are, but on a college student budget, I’ve been too cheap to buy them so far :p I’d also probably go for clif bars – my favorite pre-race snack!
(i’m also posting the contest link on my twitter- rlk_117)
Thanks, Gena!
I’d like to try some of the Avalon Organics hair cars products. I’ve seen them in local stores, but at nearly 3x the price of what’s advertised on iHerb. And since I have a lot of hair, I go through conditioner fast!
Hey Gina, I enoyed your post on Surf and Turf. While reading I realized your description of your childhood diet was very very similar to my own. I’m Italian-first generation Canadian, my parents came here in ’62 and I am now 43 years old. Anyway, althougbh not perfect (nutella and bottled lemon juice) my pantry was definitely not filled with processed foods typical of the 1970s-1980s and my parents ALWAYS cooked from scratch. Which makes me wonder how you and I and others in similar situations could have developed GI issues. Somehow I always thought I was immuned because I didn’t have an overly processed diet. Any thoughts?
Hey Gina, I enoyed your post on Surf and Turf. while reading I realized your description of your childhood diet was very very similar to my own. I’m Italian-first generation Canadian, my parents came here in ’62 and I am noq 43 years old. Anyway, althougbh not perfect (nutella and bottled lemon juice) my pantry was definitely not filled with processed foods like my friends and my parents ALWAYS
I’d love to try one of the mesquite products and I’d just have to get some chia seeds!
id love to try vitamineral green 🙂
I would love to try nutritional yeast, cacao nibs and/or chia seeds. 🙂
Cocoa nibs!! I have never had them!
I really want some B 12, DHA, ALA, and Omega 3 & 6 supplements
P.S. EEK, so excited I won! LOL, I forgot to mention that! Thanks Gena!! XO
I would like to try the aromatherapy goodies!
I haven’t wanted to even think of kale salads since this all day sickness started, but this post has turned me! I am totally craving a big kale salad again! YAY!! 🙂
My fam was similar, we didn’t have junk..ever. Soda..NEVER and nothing too processed. My mother loves cooking so it was always home cooked dishes for us. I am so proud of that!
I’d love to try some chia seeds and maca powder! I’ve been curious for soo long!
i’d love to try some chia seeds. i’m so intrigued by the little things!
Oh, I’d definately like to try MegaZymes enzymes!!! Have a great day!
I’d love to try Bee Yummy Skin Food cream.
And… the salad looks super!
I would love to try the probiotics you buy!! I haven’t found a good brand yet 🙁
iHerb has such a great selection! I’d probably get some yacon syrup and vegan protein powders.
I would like to try the lavender oil. To help me sleep better.
Great giveaway! I would probably get maca, protein powder, chia seeds, and cacao nibs!
I’d like to get some chia seeds.
I’d love to try some new probiotics and stock up on chias!
I would totally try the Nutritional Yeast!
i would love to try amazing grass!
tweeted! @cherrycobbler
I used to work at a retirement home restaurant and they often had surf and turf. All the seniors loved it. Ick. I love a good sea veggie and shroom combo!
I would get my Garden of Life supplements from Iherb: raw iron, multi, and calcium.
Thanks for the giveaway!
This recipe looks fantastic!
I’d like to try some Stevia, but I have no idea what brand, I’m open to recommendations. I have to admit I haven’t liked the flavour of anything I’ve tried that has stevia added – I’m sensitive to the aftertaste – but I want to give it a try in my own kitchen before I give up on it…
I love your healthy recipes! Everything look so delicious! I would love to try almond flour. I just recently discovered I’m allergic to gluten and am trying to find new products to cook with.
sounds like a fantastic salad! i’d never heard of surf and turf. your version of what sounds like an otherwise nasty meal looks so gooooooood.
at iherb, i would love to try fungi perfecti’s reishi veggie caps (: i have long yearned to try the power of mushrooms to balance me out emotionally, which reishi has been said to do. good luck to everyone!
I posted link to your giveaway on my blog. http://hihorosie.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html
Hi Gena.
I enjoy hemp seeds, but they are very very expensive. So maybe that would be worth the money. I tried hemp seed butter recently too and that is good. Not great…but good!
Terrific looking surf n’turf salad! Great giveaway too.
I’d like the cod liver oil (recommended for my son, who’s veggie, by his ND) or chia seeds!
Vitamin D! I’m a graduate student and frequently stuck indoors at a desk for days at a time. I need some more liquid sunshine. Okay, I need some ACTUAL sunshine, but I also need to supplement.
ummm i’m salivating just looking at these salad pics! yum yum yum!!! xo
As part of my quest to be dairy-free, I would LOVE to get some Acidophilus capsules so I have no reason not to kick my Greek yogurt habit!
I would love to try the nutritional yeast or almond flour! Both of which I haven’t had a chance to purchase/try yet.
I would 120% pick nutritional yeast to try!!! 🙂 Thank you for the opportunity Gena!
I would love to try chia seeds! I could use some coconut oil too!
i love the idea for this salad! i’m totally bookmarking it :).
i would love to try maca and get chia seeds. they’re so hard to find!
have a lovely day!
xox
great salad!
i would love to try almond flour too and cihaseeds are ggreat since they are so expensive!
That looks so yummy! I’d love to try some Vega products for my upcoming marathon training.
I’d like to try some chia seeds as I’ve not found them in my area of the UK yet, I’d also like to try some of the green powders I see people stirring into all kinds of things on vegan blogs!
Hi Gena!
Well I hadn’t heard of Surf-and-Turf, but it sounds pretty gross to me. Your salad looks and sounds great! Sadly, I did grow up with Pop-Tarts, Doritos, soda and all the processed junk. You were very lucky to not have that in your house.
I love this give-a-way because I’m very limited to what I can find. I live in a pretty isolated, rural area so I have to order EVERYTHING online. I’d like to get some Chia Seeds. I’ve been reading about them for months, but haven’t tried them. I also would like to get some decent glucosamine.
I’m just starting a blog and this gives me a great topic to talk about. I’ll make sure to put a link to this post.
Thanks!
Here’s my post featuring Choosing Raw and iHerb
http://theveganhomestead.blogspot.com/2010/05/iherb-giveaway-on-choosing-raw-and.html
Well, sorry to say, but I used to be quite the fan of the surf-n-turf. Oh yes. Now, however, your version sounds infinitely better to me! I loooooooves me some sea veggies and portobellos!
This Nutiva Berry Pomegranate HempShake caught my eye on iHerb.
what a great recipe and a great giveaway! i have ordered from iHerb before…their site is awesome! i would love to get some hemp oil!
I’d like to try hemp protein powder
So many things but tops are chia seeds, meca and sun warrior protein. Great giveaway thanks so much for the chance!
B
Wow, those portobellos look amazing…
I would love to try almond flour, especially since I am trying a gluten free week…
I would love to try hemp protein from iHerb!
I would love to try nutritional yeast!
Katherine
I really want to try some chia seeds!
I would like to try Sun Warrior protein powder!
This is so cliche but I would love to try chia seeds. They look like magic beads
i have a gluten allergy and good quality gluten free products are so hard to find where i live! so, i would definitely use the gift certificate towards any of their gluten free brands. bob’s red mill, especially! 🙂
I’m thinking I would either get some hemp seeds or hemp oil – both are hard to come by in my grocery stores and things I either have tried and loved (the seeds) or have wanted to try (the oil). 🙂
Oh man I’d love to win this, I am in desperate need of many items including some Healthforce Zeo Force as I’m about to embark on a full-month full-body detox program.
Well, since I don’t particularly like mushrooms or sea veggies – yet – I don’t think I’ll be making this particular dish in the near future. But I’ll file it away for the future, after I’ve learned to like those things. I have full confidence in my taste buds’ ability to adapt. 🙂
Meanwhile…. WOW! What a cool website! Lots and lots I’d love to order. Right now, the Navitas Naturals Greens Twister Power Vanilla/Almond flavor is catching my eye. That looks like something I could mix with just water for a quick chlorophyll boost… and not gag doing it. Plus, I just love Navitas Naturals products. 🙂 I’d love to have $50 to play with there… Thanks for offering this giveaway!
I would order chia seeds. Can’t really get them in Germany.
Oh and steel cut oats. Believe it or not but you can’t get them here at all (I heard rumours that there is one shop in Berlin who has them though)
Sounds like a nice salad, and I now want to try some hempesan!
I actually haven’t had hemp before, so that’s what I’d get – hemp protein.
hi gena! thanks for holding this awesome giveaway! one supplement i’d love to try is spirulina. i’ve heard wonderful things about it and although I don’t think it’s some kind of silver bullet to great health, I do think it will add an extra boost to my regimen 🙂
I’ve thought about ordering stuff from iHerb before, but they have so much to choose from — I got overwhelmed just looking through the teas. I know I’d order cocoa nibs, though…and tea!
Awesome concept. 🙂 Can’t wait to try that marinade, sounds SO very tasty. And I’m really enjoying your “hempesan” on everything from pasta to salads.
I would definitely stock up on some of the Nordic Naturals omega oils as I use these everyday!
I would love to try Maca!!
i’d love to try cocoa nibs and maca
I’m going on a 6 week camping trip as a part of my geology degree this summer and I’d love to stock up on probiotics or a multi-vitamin before I leave!
I’d like to try some wheat grass in my smoothies! I haven’t had any yet, but I’ve seen it on a lot of blogs :-).
I’d also like to purchase chia seeds, I’ve never had them before but have heard such great things! I’d also like to get cocoa nibs as well 🙂
I’d try some new protein powders or maybe load up on chia 🙂
That salad looks delish! I would love to stock up on Chia Seeds if I won the IHerb giveaway. I just ran out, so the timing couldn’t be more perfect 🙂
Sounds like a really cool salad!! I’d love to try some maca!!
I’ve never heard of Surf N’Turf but it sounds like meat overload indeed. Your salad sounds tasty! I haven’t ventured that far into sea veggies yet (they intimidate me). Arame is pretty good but dulse is a big yuckkk lol. I’ll have to give wakame a try!
I like this giveaway! I’ve always wanted to try pea protein 😀